The Chinese in the mainland have actually established 5 countries overseas?
This is not nonsense, but a real historical fact. Now, many years later, some of these five countries have been "destroyed", and some have been completely annexed.
But there is one country that has not perished, but has even developed better and better, becoming one of the most developed countries in the world, and still maintaining close ties with the mainland.
So, who are these countries? The last country, must have made you unbelievable!
Republic of Lanfang
When it comes to the establishment of overseas countries by Chinese, the Republic of Lanfang is definitely an unavoidable name. The Republic of Lanfang is located in the western part of the island of Kalimantan in Asia and was founded in 1777.
At that time, the Qing Dynasty closed off the country, the domestic population surged, and the contradiction between people and land was prominent, and many people were forced to go to Nanyang to make a living, and Luo Fangbo, a native of Jiaying Prefecture (now Meizhou) in Guangdong, was one of them.
Luo Fangbo was originally a down-and-out talent who had been defeated repeatedly, and after failing the imperial examination many times, he was disheartened and took his people to Nanyang to pan for gold.
After drifting across the ocean, Luo Fangbo and his party came to Kalimantan Island.
At that time, Kalimantan Island had many gold mines, which attracted all kinds of forces to compete for it. In order to unite the Chinese and integrate the advantages of gold mining, Luo Fangbo organized the Chinese to establish the "Lanfang Company".
This company is not simple, it is not only an economic entity, but also has the responsibility of maintaining the safety of the Chinese community and managing internal affairs, a bit like a "small government".
With the gradual growth of power, the Malay and Dayak tribes around the "small government" came to join one after another.
So, in 1777, Luo Fangbo officially established the Republic of Lanfang with the support of everyone.
According to records, at its peak, the territory of the Republic of Lan Fang was 140,000 square kilometers and the population exceeded 4 million.
However, it is a pity that the Lanfang Republic repeatedly asked the Qing Dynasty to recognize its vassal status, but was rejected by the Qianlong Emperor. Eventually, under the attack of the Dutch colonists, the Chinese regime fell in 1888.
Wyvern Country
The story of the Wyvern Kingdom is as magical as its name.
Back in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, there was a legendary figure named Zhang Lian.
He was originally a native of Raoping, Guangdong, and because he was dissatisfied with the rule of the Ming Dynasty, he led the people to revolt. The rebel army grew rapidly, and at one time occupied large areas of eastern Guangdong and southern Fujian. But under the encirclement and suppression of the Ming Dynasty army, Zhang Lian was finally defeated.
So, in 1560, Zhang Lian led the rest of his army of thousands of people to sail and cross the ocean to Sriwijaya, which is now the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
There, he established a maritime kingdom, the "Flying Dragon Kingdom", and also called himself the "Flying Dragon Emperor".
Zhang Lian took advantage of the superior geographical location of Sriwijaya to develop maritime trade. His fleet traveled throughout the South Seas, trading with neighboring countries and amassing a great deal of wealth.
However, due to Zhang Lian's lack of professional management experience and lack of detailed management methods and rules, the country is more like a "grass platform team".
Eventually, the Wyvern Kingdom disappeared after just two years of existence.
Thonburi Dynasty
In 1767, the Burmese army captured Siam (present-day Thailand), and the local Chinese Zheng Xin led an army to resist, successfully recovering the lost territory and establishing the Thonburi Dynasty.
Zheng Xin's father was from Chenghai, Guangdong, and his mother was from Siam, so he was also known as the "King of Chinese Thai".
During Zheng Xin's reign, he vigorously developed the economy and encouraged Chinese to immigrate to Thailand, so that the status of Chinese in Thailand was significantly improved. Under his rule, Thailand was stable and economically prosperous.
However, in 1782, with the murder of Zheng Xin in a palace coup, the Khanthonburi dynasty, which had only been founded for 15 years, came to an end.
Even so, Chung Shin is remembered by the Thai people for his exploits during his reign.
In Thailand, Cheng Sin is revered as "Taksin the Great" and has become a national hero in Thai history.
Java Shunta country
The state of Shunta in Java was established by overseas Chinese in the late Southern Song Dynasty.
In 1279, the Southern Song Dynasty perished in the Battle of Yashan, and many remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty did not want to be ruled by the Yuan Dynasty and fled overseas.
Among them, there was a team mainly composed of Cantonese, led by the general Guo Huaiyi, who came to Java Island (now Java, Indonesia).
They established a state on the northern coast of the island of Java, which they named "Shunta Country".
In the Shunta Kingdom, they vigorously promoted traditional Chinese customs such as the use of Chinese characters and the worship of ancestors.
The country is dominated by agriculture and fishing, and the local Chinese have cultivated land to grow rice, sugarcane and other crops, while taking advantage of the coastal advantages to develop fisheries.
Politically, the state of Shunta implements a tribal alliance system, in which the leaders of various tribes jointly manage the affairs of the state.
In addition, according to the "History of the Ming Dynasty", the state of Shunta "was close to Java, and in the third year of Hongwu (1370), an envoy was sent to pay tribute". This shows that the Shunta Kingdom maintained a tributary relationship with China in the early Ming Dynasty.
The kingdom lasted for more than 300 years, but because it was too weak, it was eventually annexed by the Spanish colonizers.
"Asian Tigers": Singapore
Everyone may be relatively unfamiliar with the countries mentioned above, but Singapore is definitely familiar to everyone.
It is a world-renowned financial center and shipping hub.
But few people know that the rise and development of Singapore is inseparable from the Chinese.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Singapore was a small fishing village under the rule of the Kingdom of Johor.
In 1819, the British East India Company's Stamford Raffles arrived and opened it as a trading port. Subsequently, a large number of Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian immediately poured in, working as coolies, traders, craftsmen, etc.
In 1942, Singapore was occupied by Japan, and the Chinese enthusiastically joined the anti-Japanese resistance, suffering heavy losses.
After Japan's surrender, Singapore returned to British colonial rule and began to seek independence with the rise of national liberation movements.
In 1963, Singapore formed the Federation of Malaysia with Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, but was forced to withdraw and declare independence in 1965 due to political and economic conflicts.
After independence, Singapore faced the problems of small territory, few resources, and dense population.
However, the Chinese were not discouraged, and with their hard work, wisdom and fighting spirit, they promoted the rapid development of Singapore's economy.
In the economic field, the Chinese dominate important industries such as manufacturing, finance, and trade in Singapore. Today, Chinese Singaporeans make up about 74% of the population, and Mandarin is one of the official languages of Singapore.
Therefore, the success of Singapore is due to the contribution of the Chinese, and it has also become a model for overseas Chinese to build a country.
From the Republic of Lan Phong to Singapore, from the Flying Dragon Kingdom to the Thonburi Dynasty, the countries established by these Chinese are not only a piece of history, but also a continuation of the spirit.
The rise and fall of these countries, the success or failure of these countries, is the epitome of the Chinese people's dream of "overseas China".
Whether they are successful or not, they are worth remembering and thinking about. After all, history has never gone far, it has always been at our feet, guiding the direction of the future.